World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival
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| 1975–present | |
 The contest banner outside the University of Mississippi's David H. Nutt Auditorium on May 25, 2024 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Old-Time Piano Playing |
| Location | Oxford, MS |
| Dates | 1975–Current |
| Established | 1975 |
| Host(s) | Adam Swanson, Ted Lemen |
| Venue(s) | University of Mississippi, The Old Henry on Oxford Square |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Attendance | Visitors from around the world |
| Top scorer | Adam Swanson (4 wins)-USA |
The World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival is an annual event that takes place over Memorial Day Weekend in Oxford, MS every year.
The name "Old-Time Piano Playing" refers to the genre of Ragtime, Traditional Jazz, Novelty, Stride Piano, and Boogie-woogie.
The contest started in 1975[1] as a fundraiser for the Monticello Railway Museum, and remained in Monticello, IL for the first twelve competitions. The first eleven contests brought in many viewers after the first champion, Joybelle Squibb, appeared on the Mike Douglas Show, and audiences to the contest brought lawn chairs to the event, and arranged them around the location of the contest. The first eleven contests took place at the Monticello Railway Museum using a piano on the back of a caboose, and the twelfth contest took place on the football field of the Monticello High School. This particular contest happened to take place on the same day as the 1986 Hands Across America event. The threat of traffic from this particular reason as well as the threat of rains the day of the contest deterred almost all possible contest goers from the event. In 1987, due to the drop in interest because of the varying weather conditions, the contest was moved to the Holiday Inn in Decatur, IL. The contest remained in Decatur until in mid 1990s, when it was moved to Peoria, IL. In Peoria, the contest took place at the Four Points by Sheraton, Hotel Pere Marquette,[2] and Embassy Suites throughout the contest's history in the town, and after hours parties were hosted at Shakey's Pizza Parlor in Champaign, IL. In 2016, the contest was moved to University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS, the current residence of the contest.[3] As of 2025, the main contests and presentations take place at the David H. Nutt Auditorium of the University of Mississippi, and the after hours concerts and parties take place at the Old Henry in downtown Oxford.
Rules
There are several divisions of the contest. The junior and senior divisions have similar rules to the regular division, which requires that pianists play selections written no later than 1939 and adhering to the following definition of "old time music":
"The style of piano playing found primarily in public venues of performance between 1890 and 1939, particularly in bars and piano competitions, consisting of popular songs and instrumentals of that era, including ragtime, traditional jazz, novelty, stride, and boogie, but excluding advanced chord progressions more commonly found by 1940 or later in symphonic, modern jazz and bebop music forms. Selections may also include music idiomatic to solo piano performance and popular dance styles."-Official World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival Rules.[4]
Contestants are also judged on their costumes.
There is also a "New Rag Contest", which requires that pianist play their own original compositions.